Types of Personal Injury Compensation
You may be eligible for compensation if sustained an injury due to the negligence or wrongdoing of a third person. Talk to a personal injury
lawyer near you to find out more about the possible damages you can receive.
There are two major kinds of damages that could be awarded in
personal injury lawsuits that are non-economic and economic damages. This article will explore these categories and discuss how they might affect the amount of compensation you are entitled to.
Economic Damages
A person may be entitled to financial damages after being injured in an accident. These could include medical costs, lost wages, and property damage.
Often, these types of damages can be extremely costly especially in the event of serious injuries. Since they require intensive medical treatment. After recovering, patients may have to pay for mobility equipment or prescription medications.
These expenses can add up quickly, so it is critical to keep receipts for them. Receipts from these expenses can help you prove the true amount of your losses, and also increase the value of your compensation.
In personal injury cases, the loss of earnings and future income are typical types of economic damages. This is because a victim may be out of work for weeks, months or even years after an accident. In these instances the victim must receive the amount they could have earned if they had been able to work.
If someone is disabled or someone in the family dies as the result of an accident, the victim could be eligible to receive damages for the services they received in life. These include home health, nursing, and physical therapy.
Many people require assistance in the same areas they did prior to their accident. This could include household chores, driving as well as taking care of the outdoors and assisting the family member who is dependent.
In these instances an attorney may be in a position to provide receipts, bills as well as other evidence of the cost of these items. They can also hire experts to testify to the worth of these damages.
These damages are valued different based on the particular needs of the victim and the circumstances that led to the accident. In general, juries consider a wide range of factors when determining an award of economic damages.
Some examples of these damages could include:
Pain and suffering
It is usually granted to victims of serious accidents who suffer emotional or physical injuries due to the accident. These awards can range from relatively minor (a few dollars for pain and suffering) to huge sums of money (millions of dollars in a wrongful death lawsuit).
Emotional distress
This type of damages compensates victims for emotional stress resulting from an injury. It includes things like depression, anxiety and loss of enjoyment in daily life.
Disfigurement
An injured person who is permanently damaged as a result of an accident may be eligible for this. This can be very expensive, as many people need surgery and other treatments to repair or remove disfigurements.
Loss of friendship and consortium
The damages award is intended to pay for the loss of loved ones as a result of the accident. This is especially important for those who have dependents or children.
Non-economic damages are an independent part of the legal system that is distinct from economic damage and is significantly less common. Non-economic damages may be subject to a greater burden of proof, however they are typically more difficult to value than economic damages and aren't subject to the same limitations as economic damages.